After his outstanding book from 2008, 'Winning Chess Middlegames', Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov takes us a step further into his dungeon of middlegame skills. In his well known style, Sokolov focuses on the different aspects of the complex middlegame.

As usual Ivan breaks new ground and provides us with a variety of instructive examples. Many were extracted from the very recent top level tournament practice. In this, his second volume of the Chess Middlegame Strategies series, Ivan explores middlegame strategies and ideas related to prospective opening set-ups

After his outstanding book from 2008, 'Winning Chess Middlegames', Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov takes us a step further into his dungeon of middlegame skills. In his well known style, Sokolov focuses on the different aspects of the complex middlegame. As usual, Ivan breaks new ground and provides us with a variety of instructive examples. Many were extracted from the very recent top level tournament practice. Volume 2 will be published later in 2017.

Many of the classics of Soviet chess literature have struggled to see the light of day, but none more so than Soviet Middlegame Technique by Peter Romanovsky. The original version of this famous guide to the middlegame was published in 1929 when Romanovsky was Soviet Champion. Romanovsky later decided to update and improve his work.

GM Arkadij Naiditsch: The work of Efstratios Grivas is, as usual, very well organized, with logical explanations accompanying the practical examples he has chosen. There are, of course, almost unlimited options in the middlegame but I am very sure that after examining the current book’s examples, you will most definitely improve - gaining not only a deeper understanding, but also many news ideas for your own middlegame play.

Max Euwe was World Chess Champion in the 1930s and he collaborated with International Master Kramer to write this great treatise on how to play chess middlegames. Book II of the series examines the initiative, the different types of attack on the king, the art of defense, maneuver and liquidation, and the common failings over the chessboard to which even great players are occasionally subject.

Chess Middlegame Combinations, a companion volume to Chess Middlegame Planning, forms the second part of Peter Romanovsky's classic Russian textbook on the middlegame. Now available for the first itme in an English language translation, Chess Middlegame Combinations is written with a view to helping the reader acquire a practical understanding of middlegame techniques as well as an appreciation for the beauty and aesthetics of chess.

Max Euwe was World Chess Champion in the 1930s and he collaborated with International Master Kramer to write this great treatise on how to play chess middlegames. Book I of the series covers pawn formations and static features of the game of chess. Thousands of satisfied customers have made this one of the most popular books on chess middlegames. Completely re-edited and translated to algebraic notation in this 1994 edition.

The middlegame is arguably the most complicated aspect of chess. Through carefully selected examples from real games, Alexey wants to make you more familiar with various aspects of the middlegame. He believes that through careful reading and study of his book, any player regardless of level will significantly improve their skills.

Grandmaster Edmar Mednis, a world expert on the endgame, shows how to proceed in the minimum number of moves from the opening to a favorable endgame, essentially bypassing the middlegame. He discusses 11 different openings, including both open and closed systems, in each case explaining the best routes to particular endgame positions. These positions are then analyzed, using master games to illustrate various winning plans. Because of the clear exposition of endgame principles, the student will learn not only about these specific positions, but also about endgame play in general.

The second volume of the book follows the unique concept of the first one. The reader needs to solve practical exercises throughout the entire book in various important middlegame strategical topics in a testing format. According to the collected points after the solutions, he will also be able evaluate his current knowledge.

With this book I have sought to provide a training guide that will be helpful mostly to players in the 1500–2200 range corresponding to a lower club level up to those with aspirations for a FIDE title. Of course, the book may well also be useful for players weaker than 1500, or for those stronger than 2200, but this is a decision these players should make for themselves!

Mastering the Opening and Middlegame
Contains 2 Classic Chess Books at One Great Price!

Catalog Code: B0489EM

These books are ideal for keen club players who want to improve and are seeking to better their understanding of these key stages of a chess game: the opening, when the battle lines are drawn and the middlegame when the armies commence hand to hand combat.

Grandmaster Mednis has provided a multitude of game examples, clearly illustrating key concepts. There are 129 diagrams to assist the reader. This book will certainly serve as a guide to improving your game. Mednis has a well deserved reputation as a reliable teacher, and this book will only enhance that reputation.

Understanding Chess Middlegames
Featuring the 100 Most Important Middlegame Ideas

Catalog Code: B0178GB

Following on from his successful Understanding Chess Endgames, John Nunn turns his attention to the middlegame - the phase of the chess battle where most games are decided, yet the one that has received the least systematic treatment from chess writers. With the outstanding clarity for which he is famous, Nunn breaks down complex problems into bite-sized pieces.

Mastering Chess Middlegames
Lectures from the All-Russian School of Grandmasters

Catalog Code: B0163NIC

Panchenko’s classic Mastering Chess Middlegames is for the first time available in translation, giving club-players around the world access to this unique training method. The book contains a collection of inspiring lessons on the most important middlegame topics: attack, defence, counterplay, realising the advantage, obstructing the plans of your opponent, the battle of the heavy pieces, and much more. In each chapter, Panchenko clearly identifies the various aspects of the topic, formulates easy-to-grasp rules, presents a large number of well-chosen examples and ends with a wealth of practical tests.

Ever wondered why grandmasters take only seconds to see what's really going on in a chess position? It's all about structures, as Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explains in this groundbreaking book. ‘Winning Chess Middlegames' addresses the often ignored but extremely important topic of pawn structures, divided into four main types: doubled pawns, isolated pawns, hanging pawns and pawn majorities

SHOPWORN - Mastering Chess Middlegames
Lectures from the All-Russian School of Grandmasters

Catalog Code: SWB0163NIC

Panchenko’s classic Mastering Chess Middlegames is for the first time available in translation, giving club-players around the world access to this unique training method. The book contains a collection of inspiring lessons on the most important middlegame topics: attack, defence, counterplay, realising the advantage, obstructing the plans of your opponent, the battle of the heavy pieces, and much more. In each chapter, Panchenko clearly identifies the various aspects of the topic, formulates easy-to-grasp rules, presents a large number of well-chosen examples and ends with a wealth of practical tests.

Train Your Chess Pattern Recognition
More Key Moves and Motifs in the Middlegame

Catalog Code: B0170NIC

In this sequel to his instant classic Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition, a highly original take on practical middlegame instruction, Arthur van de Oudeweetering presents players of almost every level with a fresh supply of essential, yet easy-to-remember building blocks for their chess knowledge.

In this book IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering supplies building blocks for your chess knowledge. In short chapters he presents lots of well-defined subjects, easy to remember because of their specific elements. After working with this book you will experience something wonderful: your mind and memory will be triggered much easier and more frequently. An increasing number of positions, pawn structures and piece placements will automatically activate your chess knowledge. As a result, you will simply find the right move more often and more quickly!

Reinfeld on the Endgame is a very fine specialty book about several aspects of endgames. It concentrates on a very difficult, too-often glossed over aspect of the transition between the middlegame and the endgame. Each section is introduced with pithy explanations, and each example is shown and then summarized. It all begins with transitions into a favorable endgame, dividing the topic into material or positional advantages. This skill is often known as winning technique, and a good explanation of how it is done is invaluable. Here we get that explanation by one of the most prolific chess writers of the twentieth century.

Reinfeld on the Endgame is a very fine specialty book about several aspects of endgames. It concentrates on a very difficult, too-often glossed over aspect of the transition between the middlegame and the endgame. Each section is introduced with pithy explanations, and each example is shown and then summarized. It all begins with transitions into a favorable endgame, dividing the topic into material or positional advantages. This skill is often known as winning technique, and a good explanation of how it is done is invaluable. Here we get that explanation by one of the most prolific chess writers of the twentieth century.

Techniques of Positional Play
45 Practical Methods to Gain the Upper Hand in Chess

Catalog Code: B0134NIC

Opening preparation is useful, but understanding the middlegame is much more important. This book, an improved edition of a Russian classic, teaches amateur chess players 45 extremely effective skills in a crystal-clear manner.

Roman Edouard launches a brand new series of exercise books. In his first volume, he focuses on middlegames. Romain has carefully selected 496 positions, which arose in real games in the recent past. To obtain the best possible training result out of each position, he has separated the exercises into 11 different categories, covering both tactics and strategy, attack and defence. This book is a fantastic training tool for any chessplayer to improve his level of chess thinking.

The Middle Game in Chess by Reuben Fine completes the trilogy between Practical Chess Openings and Basic Chess Endings, both by Fine, so that the three major aspects of chess are discussed. The Middle Game, it has been said, is the heart of chess. Here is the field of battle on which victory or defeat is decided. In this book the world's leading authority turns his talents to the Middle Game.

In each of these books the need for understanding is emphasized: there are too many variations for any memory to store. The player must understand the basic principles involved and the typical positions or maneuvers that can arise.

In his ground-breaking series, The Power of the Pieces, Belorussian grandmaster Sergey Kasparov examines the strengths, weaknesses and overall characteristics of each piece on the chessboard. This second volume in the series is about the knight. Its role in the opening, middlegame and endgame is discussed in detail, amply supported by almost 140 complete games from tournament praxis.

Complete Chess Strategy - VOLUME 2
Principles of Pawn Play and the Center

Catalog Code: B0139IS

Publisher: ISHI Press Author: Ludek PachmanYear of Publication: 2012 (Reprint) Pages: 185Notation Type: Descriptive (DN)
Book Description
Continuing his major work on strategy and tactics in modern chess, the internationalyl renowned Grandmaster, Ludek Pachman, now turns his attention to the play of the pawns and the achievement of control of the center squares.
Though the pawns are the weakest pieces in chess, their importance in determining the character of the attack (and defense) and the development of strategic play cannot be underestimated. Pawns are essential to the protection of important squares and pieces. They are the best means of blockading enemy pawns and when correctly deployed, their advance can open vital files and diagonals, thereby creating weaknesses in the opposite position. Despite its limited power, the pawn has one special advantage over other pieces in that it can be promoted when it reaches the eighth rank; a successful pawn advance can completely change the balance of power and the outcome of a game. Pawns have aptly been described as ''the soul of chess.''
Vital of chess mastery is a basic understanding of the importance of control of the center squares. The effectiveness of the pieces depend upon the strength of their position and center control creates a vital sapatial superiority.
The effective play of the pawns and center control have been touched upon on other works, but seldom with the insight and lucidity revealed in this second volume of Pachman's masterwork.

Chess Pattern Recognition for Beginners
The Fundamental Guide to Spotting Key Moves in the Middlegame

Catalog Code: B0211NIC

Chess Pattern Recognition for Beginners teaches the most important patterns you need to know in order to develop and mobilize your pieces, manoeuvre your pawns into positions of strength, put pressure on your opponent, attack the enemy king, and execute standard sacrifices to get the initiative.

In this monograph, Eric Schiller presents a state-of-the-art report an the opening together with explanation aimed at the average player. In addition, he provides many new ideas. Both ancient sources and the latest tournament and correspondence games have been examined, many from obscure sources which have not found their way into the body of published theory.

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